0715/0723 - The Windy (Hot and Rainy) City and So Many Games to Play

I went to work a little early so I could leave early and was able to get home fairly quickly. I had already spent two days packing and making sure I had everything ready for a week away from NYC and ended up leaving my hat at home (thank goodness I packed 3) but remembered most everything else. I was dressed a little more dumpy than usual for travel as I felt my new Steve Madden black sneaker shoes and my higher than usual zip-off sweats matched with white socks made me seem a little short bus underdressed. I was still snarky though and commented on my fellow planemates and the horrible service from American Airlines and the shoddy state of their Laguardia terminal. They also got on my nerves acting as if my ipod was going to make the plane crash. I know that phones are bad for ground cell towers but my hard-drive music player is not going to attract lightning to the plane. Anyway, we landed in Chicago and after retrieving the luggage we made our way to the curbside to get picked up by the Hertz bus for the ride to the Gold club car area. I think for Gold Club service we should have had a more interesting car than a Taurus, but that's just me. We used the Yahoo Maps directions to get to downtown from O'Hare and we found the place pretty easily. Despite lack of special amenities and very slow wireless connection (what am I sharing with all of the guests anyway, an ISDN connection?), the rooms were clean, the staff very nice and the water pressure in the shower was outrageous. The Jimmy was already in city with Stephan and we met up with Ty and Moose and after dealing with the crowds on Halsted we made our way through the neighborhoods and finally parked near The Prop House. The drinks were strong and the crowd was grooving in the Hip-Hop room and we hung out for a while before Ty said goodnight and we said goodnight shortly after. Stephan drove us home to the hotel and we finished the night with sleep.

Saturday
We had a rather sad breakfast at Kitty O'shea's (very generic burger and fries) and moved on to hanging with the rest of the crew for the day, Donnie and Larry before heading out for a taxi and making our way to Wrigley Field to see the Mets play the Cubs. After first sitting in the wrong seats and getting kicked out of our section we picked up some lower quality food products (mushy bun hot dog with no taste) and then returned to our section, found our real seats and kicked someone out of the section with the help of the usherette lady. Sadly we did not see the NY Mets win as they got beaten badly but at least they got their revenge the next day (2 grand slam homeruns). We left after the last strike and we made our way out of the stadium and through the crowded streets. We took pictures of the outside of the stadium and waited for Alan while also people watching and reading the funky T-Shirts for sale ("Cardinals take it up their Pujols", and the like). After Alan arrived we saw the nearest train station was mobbed so we made our way the 5 blocks to the next station and waited with the other passengers for the next train. Of course the first one to arrive was packed. We were able to fit on the next one however and squeeze in. The ride on the El was long and boring, (thank goodness for my Ipod Nano) and then Alan made us get off 3 stops early (Lake instead of Harrison) so we ended up having to walk a little farther than normal to our hotel. The rest of the crew left without us so after storing Donnie's bag in Larry's car we all piled into a cab (5 of us) and rolled over to Soldier Field.

The place looks like a spaceship landing on ancient Rome. Very bad design and use of space. We saw Team NY outside but had arrived too late to march with them ourselves (no coordinating shirt) once inside it was clean and bright and we were able make our way to the spectator seats and watch the teams from all over the world and US file in. The largest contingents were of course California, Texas, New York, and Chicago. We stayed through all of the arrivals, dance routines, speeches and saw Megan Mulally, George Takei and Stacieann Chin all give speeches. Russ and I left after we saw Jody Watley perform. We left out of the wrong end of the stadium so ended up walking through the weedy areas and then the suburbs before finally hitting a main street that we could catch a taxi on.
The ride was only 11 blocks but thank goodness we did not have to walk any more.
We needed to save our energy for later.

We got back to the hotel and then fell asleep. I awoke less than an hour later and woke up Russ and then we cleaned up and got the rental car and drove up Lake Shore Drive towards the Official opening party at Aragon Ballroom. The place did not seem impressive from the outside and seemed not busy at all (we arrived around 2am) but once up the long hallway and up the stairs we were greeted by a room full of people danciing and one of the most impressive laser lightshows I've ever seen in one room before. The lights over the dance floor were three stacked rings festooned with lights and around the stage were green (most impressive), red and even blue lasers. The lights matched the beats as DJ Brett Heinrichsen spun an arousing mix of familiar tunes (of course he played "Stroke" and Madonna and good selection of songs that kept the guys moving. The drink cutoff was 3am and we had to then make do with red bull and bottled drinks until we moved to the front of the dancefloor, danced near the stage and then left around 4am. The car was right across the street in the lot and we made it back to the hotel without incident.

Sunday
Met the team at Spin, hung out with the girls and guys for a bit and had a burger before heading across the street to Sidetracks for a 5 min wait and then inside to get a drink. The group split up at that point with Ty, Stephan, Kevin and I heading for a whirlwind tour of the fringe bars of Chicago. After a lengthy drive we ended up on a comparatively quiet block (compared to Boystown) and walked into Jackhammer. The doorman was wearing neck to knee black rubber (like the man on Little Britain but more butch) and we witnessed the shadiest talent contest ever. After the boy drinking his daquiri on stage and showed his talent of hairy butt booty shaking finally won. I think he won only because the rest of the people on stage were so lackluster and then we watched the drag queen emcee lip sync to Cher before the loud music came back on. There was only one person dancing on the dancefloor and we settled in for our one drink minimum and then from the back came a rather disconcerting vision. A little person in leopard print manties (really tight girl underwear on a man) was making his way toward us from the back of the bar and heading toward us and the door outside. I could not get any words out and Ty refused to offer any kind of explanation but when the guy passed us and looked over at me I gave him a Thumbs Up and "You go!" Anyway we said goodnight to Kevin who lived not too far away and Ty took us to the salvation of our night and the afterhours spot that was Charlie's. Thank goodness for their 2am switchover to Pop Dance music and the crowd that was so excited to be there you thought they were giving away money. We stayed there for an hour and a half until 20 minutes till close with, last good song by Nick Lachey.

Monday
Saw the basketball players at the hot sweaty (no A/C) gym and then had dinner at Giordano's

Tuesday
First Games. 1-2 record. And then after part of team went to beach and Russ and I walked through the park and saw the fountain we had the team dinner at Speakeasy (got ridiculously lost first but finally wandered in, I was so mad I was cursing, gotta have my own directions) and the team finally came to realization that Jonah really does have Asperger Syndrome.

Wednesday
1 Game
Then night out at Sidetracks for the Bear Party and then stayed there for hours and hours as more friends came and more drinks were served. Finally we escaped and had a late dinner at Clarkes.

Thursday
We won our first game against the Amazing Greens (played them twice, the only team we beat the whole tournament) and then lost to the Hunters (The same team beat us 3 times) It was a crazy sense of Deja Vu and it seemed there were only the same teams in the whole tournament. What was strange also is that we never did find out who won the Gold, Silver and Bronze for Softball. (Really, no one we spoke to knows who won). Anyway we went back to the hotel, cleaned up and then hung out some more at Sidetracks and then hopped in the car with Craig and Steve to go to Charlies and had the only time trying to separate Steve and 2 squads of cheerleaders who just could not keep to their own space. I told the rest of the guys about themselves when the finally arrived and Russ had to leave early get the car from 3am parking. The rest of us left just before 4am and retrieved the car before heading back to the hotel.

Friday
We hung out some more watching the Basketball finals and the watched the NY Warriors get beat down by the SF Team who had the guards scoring shots all over the place and a strategy to keep the NY Team back on their heels and never able to recover from being down by over 15 in the first period. I say it was bad coaching as the coach kept some people in the game for far too long and never let some other players off of the bench. Anyway we said hi to everyone after the game and then headed out in the rain and had dinner in Chinatown. My pepper steak was burnt and the chicken wings were enormous but I filled up on the chicken and then we hung out with the guys for a bit at Sidetracks before going over the Gym sponsored party at Metro. The party was a bust. It was too far from Boystown (past Wrigley Field and a ridiculous number of straight clubs, Location, Location, Location) and it was 45 dollars to get in (WHAT!!). Thank goodness I already had tickets. I have no idea what the organizers were thinking but I guess they should have figured out a better way to get everyone there at the same time as everyone who came in except for EB left after they saw only 11 other people in the place. By the time we arrived around 12:30 am there were at least 35 other people there but a lot of people left after the first run through of the photo montage on the screen over the stage. Plus the managers were kind of mean to me with despite me standing right next to EB they only gave him the free drink tickets (he gave them to me anyway as he already had a drink in hand both times). After the party was over at 3am we went to the straight club (Smartbar) next door to use the facilities (thank you Security Guys) and then shared a taxi back to the hotel. EB is a cool dude and we became best buds with plenty to talk about and even gave a guy who came to town from San Fran directions as he planned on being a volunteer for the games and moving to Chicago for the next year but needed someplace to go for the night (to the dorms). At least we still have tomorrow.

Saturday
We awoke to find out that the closing ceremonies were not at 6pm but a 3pm and we called and cajoled the rest of the team with the schedule before convincing the Jimmy to go as well. After the everlasting train ride on the Red Line (the train stops for no reason we could tell and there are no announcements as you just sit and hope the train moves again, the ride was twice as long as it should have been). We finally arrived at the stadium and found seats in the same section we sat in when we watched the Cubs and Mets. The Closing ceremonies were much more interesting than the opening and we had more bear and frozen drinks this time as well. Cyndi Lauper was excellent along with rifle jugglers and Kristine W. The crowd spilled out onto the streets when it was all over and we walked down to Boystown and hung out at the outdoor BBQ. It rained but EB and I had good seats next to the tree and then bar pulled the awning down over us and we stayed dry a little longer until the rain stopped. We hung out with the guys and boys for a bit before Russ and I bid all our friends goodbye and headed back to the hotel to clean up and ordered dinner delivery. More time playing Diablo on the laptop for me before dinner finally arrived and then I was nice and stuffed as we rested up a bit before our final party of the weekend. Once more over to the Aragon ballroom and the spectacular lightshow they set up. This time the flag dancers were on top of the raised platforms with the best back and black lighting and featured Performer Circuit Mom made her way up to the stage and performed to "Ain't No Other Man" by Ms Aguilera. The DJ was Manny Lehman and he made sure to keep the energy up despite the fact I myself was feeling the weight of my week long spin of parties and hanging out. Russ left at 3am and I stayed till 4:30am myself hearing hits by Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado and a truly energetic mix of the theme from "Brokeback Mountain" I really missed hearing his mix of "Jump" by Madonna but he probably played it before I got to the party. My taxi back to the hotel was waiting right out front and I got back pretty easily. Thank goodness I had already packed my bags earlier in the day cause I just needed to sleep.

Sunday,
We woke up, checked out (had to wait till the last second to shower as there was no hot water pressure for about an hour) and had breakfast at Blackie's for the second day in a row before heading over to the airport. Back onto the ghetto airline of American Airlines (everything else is ghetto after taking Jet Blue) and all I wanted to do was sleep. I woke up an hour later to look at the magnificent view of the NYC skyline as we flew into Laguardia and was surprised that we fly all the way out over Long Island far enough to see the Nassau Coliseum before getting into our holding pattern lane and landing at the airport. We picked up our bags, caught a yellow taxi and we were home in no time at all. We got into the car and picked up some KFC for dinner (everyone seemed to be there, I guess its the thing to do for Sunday Dinner). And watched Sunday eve programming before turning in for a well deserved rest after the whirlwind week of vacation. Well deserved but now its back to real life. Oh well, at least it was a lot of fun.

07/01-07/09 - Away but not so far

07/01-07/09 - Away but not so far

I have not written in a while,
Life, Love and the pursuit of happiness get in the way of timely chronicles of the weekend.

I've partied on Fridays and Saturdays. Hung out with friends and strangers and done the normal things that people do to have fun on the weekend and worked during the week to prepare myself for the weekends to follow.

Stepped on by a Drag Queen, Punching Security in the teeth,
thats just the start of the weekend for me.

I partied at Splash the night that Raphaela performed to "Hung Up" while DJ Tracy Young was spinning. Had fun with Erica and got stepped on by the performer (me trying to clear a can off the stage just as she stepped down to get closer to the audience). I also hit a security guard in the face. This was just Friday. I think I have begun to do so much, so fast that the very idea of record-keeping is starting to seem daunting. However, I still hung out the next night and danced with DJ Mike Cruz and heard his mix of "Glamorous Life" once again. He has become a Roxy Staple and the crowd does seem to like his beats and mixes. I've lost a set of lights and replaced them with new ones (stars) and have gotten very practiced with the shorter yet just as bright versions with their own loop straps.

The following weekend I hung out once again as Russ was in Atlantic City (no gambling until 8am, boo) but the night was slow despite the grooves of DJ Billy Carroll since besides a few classic hits nothing grabbed me enough to start dancing on stage. Hanging by the bar and grooving with friends Rick and Shawn and their little circle was still fun. I also got to see Will and his wife make and appearance. She did not speak english well enough to hold a conversation but the language of music was good enough that she seemed to be having just as good a time as the rest of us. I was able to get home with no problem with my very intelligent cabdriver who appreciated my detailed directions upon entering the taxi.

The next morning Russ called on the way home to see if I was awake enough to get picked up on his way to the SOFTBALL fields. I said not quite but I left the house not an hour later to meet him and the team at the fields on the lower west side. Took the F train to the E train and got off at Houston street and walked uptown. Wearing sandals turned out to be a mistake however as I took the long way around the entrance. I walked completely around the rather large building (houses two softball fields at its center, a parking garage and other sports venues such as kayaking) and finally walked in the correct entrance to see the team finally score some more and win their game. I bought a few Gatorade from the convenient machine and watched the team lose the second game I watched but we still had the afternoon and evening to look forward to. After returning to BK, lunching and resting it was back out to hang at the Eagle on 28th street for our team fundraiser. We arrived around 6:45 and the rest of the team arrived at the same time or within 30 minutes later and the place was packed by 8pm. The fundraiser went well and everyone was happy with the prizes won, Both Russ and I both bought strips of tickets and we both won something (Lucas Productions porn and dinner at Cafeteria on 7th Ave). We hung with our softball friends and friends of friends and met a lot of cool people over the course of the night. The raffles were over just after 10pm and we hung out for a bit more discussing sports and our upcoming travels (see next week). The night was of course not over for ßme as Russ was nice enough to drive me down the street and drop me off on 9th Ave. and 18th Street.

Somehow the crowd outside on the street at the corner of 10th Ave. was not a good sign but I soldiered on and went up to the door and heard the bad news from Doorman Derek. The Rox was finally serving its liquor license suspension so in effect the place was like a giant after-hours spot but before hours (crazy) but since I had not yet had enough to drink (not me) I headed down the block to Gym bar and had a few drinks at the bar, said hello to Ty and then headed back down the street feeling my buzz and got into the club to look the place over at 12:45. DJ Merritt was not enough to draw a big enough crowd to fill the place completely and of course the area around the bar was sparse but eventually the floor had enough partiers so the place did not see so down on its luck. I even danced on the stage twice (empty stage but then I like being the featured unnamed performer), once for "we belong together" and then again for "Music is your life (Keep on Dancing)". As the crowd thinned out I kept up the party until it was finally time to go. I left just after 4:30am but ended up with drama as the first taxi I picked up broke down and dropped me off right near 15th street. I had a hard time getting a taxi at that point as everyone thought I was taxi poison but I was determined not to take public trans at that hour of the night so I waited it out and after waving on a few stupid cabbies I finally got a nice one willing to take me to BK. I yelled at the one in front of him who had passed me by but then saw me as a hot property when he saw me get into another car. The driver got me home safe and sound and after doing the obligatory check to make sure I left nothing behind I said goodnight and made my way upstairs and home.

I have been trying to be more proactive and take some pictures and pretty soon I'll get the blog pic links but until then I will have to make do with just being descriptive. (but a pic is like a thousand words) hard to compete with that.

Next week, On the Road Again.